Towamencin Fire Co. hosting the 14th annual Water Battle and Showdown

Members of the VMSC of Lansdale compete in a bucket brigade during the 12th annual Montgomery County Fifth Fire District Water Battle held at the Towamencin Firehouse on Saturday morning July 13,2013. Photo by Mark C Psoras

Members of the Harleysville Fire Company compete against Perseverance Volunteer Fire Company members during the 12th annual Montgomery County Fifth Fire District Water Battle held at the Towamencin Firehouse on Saturday morning July 13,2013. Photo by Mark C Psoras

TOWAMENCIN — The Towamencin Volunteer Fire Company is hosting the 14th annual Water Battle and Showdown for the Montgomery County 5th Fire District on Saturday, July 12. Fourteen fire departments and several hundred firefighters are expected to attend.

The Water Battle and Showdown’s roots date back to the very first fire departments in the 1700s in Philadelphia.

The competition is a kind of Olympic-style challenge for firefighters who use every evolution of knowledge they learned while training with their respective fire companies and in fire academies.

Ben Franklin used these water battle competitions to teach and to test the skills of Philadelphia’s fledgling volunteer mutual fire societies in the 1700s. Today, the 5th Fire District puts companies on a course where skills such as teamwork, planning, knowledge and communication — all skills used in firefighting — are put to use in competition. Events include the barrel on a wire, tug-of-war, midnight ride, and the “ye olde-fashioned bucket brigade.” There is a large “mystery event” at the end of the day. Teams wear turn-out gear in some of competition, plan their attack, roll hose, prepare hose for use, couple hose, flow water, communicate, respond from a cold start, test stream accuracy and demonstrate team capabilities.

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Teams compete for total points and trophies that give them bragging rights in various categories. At the end of the day, teams are presented their awards; the team with the most points and most first-place finishes is declared the overall winner.

Local businesses such as Wawa, Hatfield Quality Meats and Stroehmann’s bakery provide liquids for hydration and light food throughout the day.

Station 41-The North Penn Goodwill Canteen cooks and dispenses both the food and drinks.

The districts ambulance crews provide any first aid or medical assistance that my be required.

The Montgomery County 5th Fire District consists of the following departments:

Wissahickon, Centre Square, Worcester,Harleysville,Towamencin,Upper Gwynedd, North Penn, FDMT-Montgomery Township, Colmar, Fairmount of Lansdale, Hatfield, Telford, and Perseverance of Souderton. In addition those fire departments. The district also includes: Montgomery County Fire Police, North Penn Goodwill Canteen, Harleysville Area Ambulance, Souderton Community Ambulance, VMSC-of-Lansdale Ambulance, and the Telford Dive